Safety Last! (1923)

 Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor's "Safety Last!" 

Everyone is familiar with the image of Harold Lloyd dangling from the clock on top of a skyscraper. This iconic image is from the 1923 comedy "Safety Last!' The film was both commercially and critically successful, often being cited as an explosive new form of comedy. Part of the reason is due to the increasing levels of death-defying danger Lloyd's character goes through, ending with him scaling a large building. How exactly was this stunt performed and what did it add to the overall comedic tone the filmmakers were looking for?

The film sees Lloyd's character move to the big city to make it big so he can have enough money to propose to his girlfriend and start a family. However, things don't go according to plan, as he is only ever to become a sales clerk at a department store. When his girlfriend stops by for a visit, he enacts a ruse to make it appear like he is the manager of the store. Through various charades, he finds himself in increasingly difficult situations in which he must continue the charade. All of this ends with him climbing up the department store building in order to draw attention to the store so his boss can give him a $1,000 raise. 

On it's own, the film is built around humor and thrill. The combination of these two things creates the vibrancy of the picture. In order for the comedy to work, and work well, the film needs to create a sense of discomfort. This discomfort is achieved through the incredibly difficult situations Lloyd puts himself in. Because of the charade he has placed himself in, overcoming conflicting obstacles is required. As a viewer, you would very much like it if Lloyd was successful in his ventures. However, the comedy is formed from the very thing you don't want happening, happening. These things include sneaking into work late, being caught by the manager in his office, or being forced up a building. The uncomfortable predicaments require an immediacy of action. The immediacy of the action becomes the ignition material that forms the comedy. As a viewer, you are constantly wondering how Lloyd will get out of these tricky predicaments, only to bust out laughing when he seemingly finds a way.

The iconic building scaling sequence is another element of discomfort that fuels the comedy. As we anxiously watch Lloyd climb and almost fall in various ways, it feels as if we are on the edge of our seat. The 'thrill' of watching this seemingly dangerous situation is what allows the levity of laugher when watching him flirt with death time and time again. However, the danger Lloyd was presented with was actually quite minimal, abliet not absent. The crew had built a two story-sized building wall on the rooftop of an actual skyscraper. As Lloyd climbed the building cutout, he had a few matresses under him on the rooftop base. The camera had to zoom in so that the empty side of the building cutout was not in frame. The effect allows for Lloyd to look like he is placed in a death-defying situation without actually making him climb a building. 

"Safety Last!" proved to be an inspiration for comedy films. It would go on to inspire many other 'building scaling' films or films that presented death defying situations. Harold Lloyd became an international star, as well. His comedies of the 1920s were widely viewed and well liked by all.